The convenience of carrying bicycles on a vehicle rack has prompted the development of a number of approaches for attaching a bicycle to a carrier mounted on the vehicle rack. Generally, bicycles may be attached through their frames, their wheels, or a combination thereof. Frame attachment may effectively secure the bicycle to the vehicle rack. However, the rigidity of the bicycle frame may transfer potentially damaging motions from the vehicle to the bicycle. As result, the frame may be damaged structurally. In addition, points of carrier engagement on the frame may be damaged cosmetically, that is, dented or scratched. By contrast, wheel attachment overcomes some of these problems associated with frame attachment. Bicycle tires have an inherent shock-absorbing ability, generally reducing the effects of sudden vehicle motions on an attached bicycle.
Despite the advantages of wheel attachment, an effective bicycle carrier that relies on wheel attachment has not been described for use on a roof-mounted vehicle rack. For example, some wheel-based carriers do not grip a bicycle wheel tightly enough to safely carry a bicycle on a vehicle roof at high speeds. Other wheel-based carriers are not designed for easy bicycle loading on a vehicle roof. As a result, it may be difficult for one person to position and balance a bicycle on the carrier as the bicycle is attached.
Therefore, a vehicle-mounted bicycle carrier is needed that is easily loaded with a bicycle and that holds a wheel of the bicycle effectively.